Cambridge, UK, 2nd February, 2007 - ProQuest Information and Learning is creating a new digital resource that will make researching the American Civil War and its context more direct and complete than ever before. Available Spring 2007, ProQuest Civil War Era is the first to collect, digitise and combine in a single search platform the era’s key newspapers and activist publications, creating a comprehensive view of not only the years of battle, but the factors leading to war.

ProQuest Civil War Era is a deep set of primary sources with documents that encompass the build-up and evolution of the war that shaped U.S. identity, all in original article and page image. It provides desktop access to nearly 2,000 pamphlets, highlighting the multiple and distinct perspectives of government officials, clergy, social reformists, and other opinion leaders of the time. Pamphlets are drawn from the personal libraries of Salmon P. Chase, member of the Lincoln Cabinet and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (1864-1873), and John P. Hale, senator from New Hampshire and personal friend to President Lincoln. Supporting this information are the complete runs of eight newspapers from 1840-1865, specifically selected for the regional and diverse perspectives they offer. The combination of resources, built in conjunction with librarians and scholars, allows researchers to explore the entire era, from the origins of Manifest Destiny and the rising tensions that led the country to war through the battles and shifting successes to reconstruction.

The newspapers included in ProQuest Civil War Era provide a variety of editorial perspectives, as recorded in the papers of the South (Richmond Dispatch, Charleston Mercury, New Orleans Times Picayune), North (Boston Herald, New York Herald, Columbus State Journal), Mississippi Valley and Border States (Kentucky Daily Journal, Memphis Daily Appeal). Pamphlets are drawn from two respected collections. Slavery and Anti-Slavery Pamphlets from the Libraries of Salmon P. Chase & John P. Hale includes 166 pamphlets, speeches, reports, legal opinions and convention proceedings covering slavery, and anti-slavery movements, and the conditions of African-Americans after the Civil War. Civil War Pamphlets 1861-1865 includes 1,758 pamphlets illustrating the “war of words” during the conflict. Often 20-40 pages in length, these pamphlets are the intellectual precursors to Op-Ed pages in modern newspapers, providing an outlet for individuals to express their views.

Pamphlets are subject indexed, enabling researchers to search and browse topics ranging from “Constitutional Issues and States Rights” to “Slavery and Religion” to “Literature and Fiction”. This subject mapping allows simple “click” access to many curriculum-based topics, allowing both advanced and novice researchers to identify subjects of interest.

Available on the ProQuest® platform, ProQuest Civil War Era can be cross searched with ProQuest Historical Newspapers™ and American Periodicals Series Online™

If you would like further product information please e-mail marketing@proquest.co.uk